Expanded Anime/Caste Powers
This is an attempt to provide all Castes with anima banner powers on par with the Twilight Caste. Each Caste has three powers - one Passive, one Active, and one Iconic. The Passive Power is always available; the Active Power costs one mote, and always causes the Solar's Caste Icon to flare during the moment it's activated (well, except for the Night Caste, but that's specifically due to the nature of their power). The Iconic Power activates automatically when their anima banner is iconic (16+ motes), but may be activated for a single instant for 5 motes. Doing so causes the anima to flare iconic during that instant. Dawn Caste Passive Power - Leadership The Dawn Caste are natural leaders of men. After leading a unit to victory in battle with a Magnitude less than or equal to the Dawn Caste's Essence, the character may choose to acquire the unit as Followers. By spending a single experience point, he acquires the Followers background with a maximum rating equal to his Essence (any difference in unit size is lost to casualties, deserters or retirees). Active Power - Valorous Inspiration For one mote, the Dawn may display his caste icon while rallying his troops, causing them all to add his Essence to their Valor when attempting to rally or resist breaking. Iconic Power - Terrible Mein At the Iconic level, a Dawn's anima banner blinds and terrifies his foes, reducing their DV by one-half the Dawn's Essence, and increasing the Dawn's DV by his full Essence. Characters opposing the Dawn Caste may roll Valor at the beginning of combat; each success reduces the power of this effect by 1 point for the remainder of the scene (to a minimum of 0). Characters who botch this Valor roll flee in terror rather than fight their doom incarnated. Zenith Caste Passive Power - Priesthood A Zenith Caste's prayers always reach heaven. A Zenith is always considered to be a sanctified priest of any deity he prays to. Additionally, Zenith Caste do not need to spend XP to raise their Cult and Follower backgrounds up to their Essence during play, so long as they play through the acquisition of these Backgrounds – mortals that they turn to their cause naturally follow, respect and worship them as heroes and avatars of a righteous god. Active Power - Prayers for the Dead For one mote, the Zenith may display his caste icon while praying over a fallen body, burning it to ash and consigning the soul immediately to Lethe. Iconic Power - Holy Aura Against Creatures of Darkness, a Zenith Caste Solar gains most of the effects of the Dawn Caste, Twilight Caste, and Fire Aspect Iconic Anima Banners. All Creatures of Darkness and unholy attacks reduce their DV by 1/2 the Zenith's Essence, the Zenith adds his Essence to both his soak and DV, and all Creatures of Darkness caught within (Essence x 10) yards take 1 die of lethal damage per tick as the nimbus of sunlight sears their unholy flesh. As with the Dawn Caste, Creatures of Darkness may roll Valor to negate the anima banner's effect on their DV and attacks, but this does not affect the negation of damage dealt to the Zenith or the environmental damage they receive from his holy nimbus of light. Twilight Caste Passive Power - Understanding The Twilight Caste's Exaltation provides them with an innate understanding of Creation. The XP cost for new dots in all Crafts, Investigation, Lore, Occult and Medicine as well as all specialties for these abilities (including thaumaturgical arts) are halved. All charms for these abilities cost 1 less XP to learn than normal. Active Power - Mastery of Device For one mote, the Twilight may display his caste icon while touching an unattuned device or Artifact, declaring his sovereignty to its little god and allowing him to attune to it without the need for a roll (but still requiring the normal attunement time). If the artifact has an attunement cost, the mote spent may be applied to that cost. Iconic Power - Arcane Protection By spending 5 motes, a Twilight Caste may roll a number of dice equal to his Essence rating, negating a number of levels of damage from an attack in step 10 of attack resolution equal to the number of successes. When his anima banner flares at the 11m+ level of display, he automatically subtracts one level of damage from attacks in step 10 instead; the character may choose to waive this benefit to invoke his anima effect in response to a source of damage at normal cost, if desired. The anima powers of the Daybreak and Defiler Castes also work in this manner. Night Caste Passive Power - Discretion The Night Caste are considered “above the law” of Heaven. No action they perform, no matter how heinous or disruptive, can ever be the subject of an official Celestial Censure. Additionally, it is an offense for any member of the Celestial Bureaucracy that reveals a Night Caste's nature to others while the Night Caste is disguised, with a severity equal to the Night Caste's permanent Essence. Active Power - Hidden Essence For one mote, the Night Caste may suppress the display of his anima, channeling one Charm's use of Peripheral Essence through his hidden caste mark as if it were Personal. This will even cause Obvious charms and combos to become non-obvious, achieving their normal effect through less-spectacular but no less effective means. Iconic Power - Cloak of Shadow At the Iconic level, a Night Caste's anima mutes light, sound and scent - imposing an external penalty to any attempt to attack, spot, or identify the Night Caste equal to his Essence. In the case of attacks, this adds half the Night Caste's Essence directly to his DV, or serves as a raw external penalty if the character's DV is reduced to 0. Eclipse Caste Passive Power - Flexibility The Eclipse Caste have a powerful ability – for double the experience cost, they may learn the Charms of any other being in creation, so long as they meet the prerequisites, and so long as they are taught by a tutor who knows the Charm. Active Power - Diplomatic Immunity For one mote, the Eclipse may display his caste icon, declare his identity, and state his purpose, providing him and his companions diplomatic immunity to all Gods, Elementals and Creatures of Darkness so long as his side does not initiate hostilities. Iconic Power - Sanctity of Oaths At the Iconic level, an Eclipse may sanctify any oath made, so long as he is touching the oath-takers. If the oath is broken, the oath-breaker receives a number of botches to future critical rolls equal to the Eclipse Caste's Essence at the time the oath was consecrated. Each of these botches should be at the worst time possible, and of the most severe (and possibly lethal) nature possible, and should preferably manifest in a manner appropriate for ironic or divine justice.